Friday Five for April 12, 2013

Hey there, remember us? It’s been a while since our last post. Thanks for all of the comments and emails asking if we were ok or if we’d bugged out. It was nothing like that. We’re all fine and doing well. However one of life’s little storms blew our way and a confluence of home, prepping, work, and other projects began to hit all at the same time. We’ve worked through many of them but I suspect that our posting frequency won’t rebound completely for a little while to come.

We’ve been reading a lot of good books, been to some training, and read some very interesting blog posts and news articles recently. Here are the ones that made this week’s Friday Five from PreppingToSurvive: Spy agencies have access to your financial records, NYPD plans to track every vehicle as it enters or leaves Manhattan, adding herbs to your garden, a box cutter is the becomes the weapon of choice for a deranged man, and the IRS claims authority to read private communications without warrant.

IRS Claims Authority to Read Emails without Warrant

In documents acquired by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) through the Freedom of Information Act, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claims that auditors do not need to seek judicial approval or warrants to read people’s private emails, text messages, or other forms of electronic communications because there is not an “expectation of privacy.” From The Hill.

NYPD to Track Movement of Individual Vehicles

In a story reminiscent of the former Soviet Union’s repressive and invasive security measures, the New York Police Department as unveiled a plan to use license plate readers to track vehicles as they enter and leave Manhattan. The information can purportedly be used after a terrorist event. From The Huffington Post.

Mass Stabbings at Texas College

A deranged man with a box-cutter like weapon randomly attacked other students at Lone Star College near Houston, Texas, earlier this week. During the spree, 14 people were injured; four of them seriously. Fortunately, other students rushed the man, subduing him until police could arrive on the scene minutes later. From FoxNews.

Growing Herbs at Home

Many preppers and homesteaders strive to become as self-sufficient as possible. We want to rely on the fragile system as little as possible; we don’t want to be at the mercy of the supply chain and the disruptions that could cause barren shelves. So, we stock up and learn to grow our own food. Just as we’ve recommended that you stock up on barbecue sauce, salad dressings, and spices to bring variety to your post-TEOTWAWKI diet, growing your own herbs is a way to become self-sufficient at it. Here’s an overview of the herbs you can grow. From Savvy Gardener.

Spy Agencies Have Access to Your Finances

You can’t make this stuff up. Here’s a quote straight for respected news agency Reuters. “The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country, according to a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters.” From Reuters.

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